Kabul, Afghanistan — Afghanistan's president is vowing to eliminate all safe havens of the Islamic State group as the country marks a subdued 100th Independence Day after a horrific wedding attack claimed by the local IS affiliate.
President Ashraf Ghani's comments Monday come as Afghanistan mourns at least 63 people killed in the Kabul bombing.
Many outraged Afghans ask whether an approaching deal between the United States and the Taliban to end nearly 18 years of fighting will bring peace to long-suffering civilians.
A sharply worded Taliban statement questions why the U.S. failed to identify the attackers in advance. Another Taliban statement marking independence says to "leave Afghanistan to the Afghans."
Afghans bury the bodies of victims of the Dubai City wedding hall bombing during a mass funeral in Kabul, Afghanistan. The deadly bombing at the wedding in Afghanistan's capital late Saturday that killed dozens of people was a stark reminder that the war-weary country faces daily threats not only from the long-established Taliban but also from a brutal local affiliate of the Islamic State group, which claimed responsibility for the attack. Picture: Rafiq Maqbool/AP
Afghans carry the body of a victim of Dubai City wedding hall bombing during a mass funeral in Kabul, Afghanistan. Picture: Rafiq Maqbool/AP
Afghans pray near the coffins of victims of the Dubai City wedding hall bombing during a mass funeral in Kabul. Picture: Rafiq Maqbool/AP
The U.S. envoy in talks with the Taliban says the peace process should be accelerated to help Afghanistan defeat the IS affiliate.